2wd vs 4 wd?

some great reading on this discussion........BenK, love your advice based on experience
my TV is a '13 F450, so 4WD only option

Also home base is Alaska, so 4WD pretty much a no brainer, although our 2nd vehicle for many years was a front 2WD sedan and it did amazing well if you understood how to drive it.

Don't have a lot of experience towing the 5er yet, but 45+ years of driving in winter and on less than optimum summer roads taught me that 4WD is best used to get OUT of situations you shouldn't have got IN with 2WD.

Add that most folks don't understand the WHY's & HOW2's of airing down and low range

Airing down increases the tires contact patch and the 'apparent' dia increases to
over 8 FEET. Some tires will form a 'cup' at the center of the contact patch to
then gain more traction

Low range is not only to climb, but even in flats with loose stuff. Once traction
is broken and in too high a gear...the tires will spin to dig a grave

Anyone who has been out there watching will notice that the tires *WILL* break
traction, but if in compound low...will not spin and regain traction


Then the discussion on tire philosophy...penetration or floatation...vs terrain
and driving style...that is then factored by the equipment at hand...

Sport45 wrote:
Nice pictures!

Don't get me wrong, as my next truck will be 4x4 without a doubt. But you really need to take pictures of a more challenging road. I've pulled our Boy Scout troop trailer through much worse than that with my 4x2.

Thanks! The pictures aren't the part of the difficult portion of the road. The first one has about 5 miles of sand up to 6" deep. The second 'could' be accessed w/ high clearance 2wd, but low range really helps to creep through the ruts and over the rocks.

BenK wrote:
Had already changed to having them hook up to their own vehicle after seeing
someone yell as a Good Samaritan (both shouldn't have owned 4x4's) bend his
bumper with a nylon strap...wanted the Samaritan to pay for a new bumper...left
them yelling at each other...no way would I ever blame a Good Samaritan for
that...
Give the end with a choker chain to the vehicle in trouble and tell them HOW2
hook up to their *FRAME* rail, not bumper

X2
I was helping a guy and his family get out of the center median on I80 west of Yuma and had him hook it up as I told him I didn't see anywhere to hook it to and he wrapped it around his 5mph bumper. I told him it was not a strong place to put it and he insisted. Ok I pulled him but not very far , one side of his bumper tore loose and the bumper now was sticking straight out from the car.
I felt bad for them but I was done.We told the authorities at the inspection station where they were.
If we did a different kind of camping and stuck to paved highways and avoided freezing weather and no grassy rv parks, etc. And if we didn't need it to get up our drive a few weeks out of the year than maybe we would buy a 2wd.
We did buy a 2wd last year to replace our car. But it is a front wheel drive.
Our thoughts were if it is icy or snowing we will drive one of the 4x4s.
Well We needed to go get my MIL to take her somewhere and she has trouble getting in and out of the trucks.
I knew I could drive down our lane to get out to the gravel rd and then with some aggressive driving get up to the state rd.
Well the trip into town and back was fine but the trip down our gravel rd and then making the turn into our lane and up the hill ( 1/4 mile) was a real thrill.
My wife was laughing and said "WE have our very own Disneyland ride".

Tystevens wrote:

Slownsy wrote:
Generalizing is fine but not everybody that has a 4x4 thinks they can go every where, and If stuck get out and evaluate situation instead of reving and burying it. Traveling the Canning stock route in OZ over 1000 sandunes in ouer F250 got stuck 3 times but easily got underway again.
Frank.

It also means you can go and see some great things while you are out camping in this amazing country of ours:





Never would have gotten there w/o 4 wheel drive!

Nice pictures!

Don't get me wrong, as my next truck will be 4x4 without a doubt. But you really need to take pictures of a more challenging road. I've pulled our Boy Scout troop trailer through much worse than that with my 4x2.

irishtom29 wrote:
I wonder if in situations most campers are liable to get in that 2WD with a locking differential wouldn't work as well as 4WD. I often drive my 4WD F-150 out on the beach here, south of St. Augustine, and find that in loose, fairly deep sand I can go as well in 2WD with the differential locked as I can in 4WD.

With two open differentials you get the traction of worst front wheel and the worst rear wheel that together may amount to about nothing. Lock one axle and you get the best and worst on that axle and can easily be a significant improvement. Lock both axles and look out.

I don't have lockers but with True-Trac both front and rear sand is easy.. even up some modest dunes. Stock open front and weak rear clutches I had before was pretty iffy and I had to actually pay attention, not turn too sharp and keep speed up and smooth etc.

We have winter here so I use 4x4 mainly when not towing in winter. However, there's been a couple of times where I've had to put it into 4-hi and 4-low when in a campground with wet grass or steep gravel hill when getting in or out of a campsite. Truck just lurched the trailer where I wanted it to go no problem whereas a 4x2 would've had trouble.

For those who think *ALL* 4x4's will tow/pull them out of a jam...I'm no longer
one of them...after helping an idiot who had no business owning a 4x4 nor out
where he was stuck with his family (GM pickup)

Had already changed to having them hook up to their own vehicle after seeing
someone yell as a Good Samaritan (both shouldn't have owned 4x4's) bend his
bumper with a nylon strap...wanted the Samaritan to pay for a new bumper...left
them yelling at each other...no way would I ever blame a Good Samaritan for
that...

Give the end with a choker chain to the vehicle in trouble and tell them HOW2
hook up to their *FRAME* rail, not bumper

He didn't like the choker chain because it 'might' scratch his vehicle...

My mistake in not using my +100' of3/8th chains and just wanted to
use my brand new strap...

So, decided I'm not going to help these folks unless they agree in writing to
not hold me for blame in anything (even on a napkin would be enough for me) and
don't unless they are in dire danger...

Before all that...would GLADLY help anyone out there and did so...often...

This is part of why I say: "If you have to ask, don't get...you'll know when
you need/want it"...

Also means you can camp in some pretty amazing places:

Slownsy wrote:
Generalizing is fine but not everybody that has a 4x4 thinks they can go every where, and If stuck get out and evaluate situation instead of reving and burying it. Traveling the Canning stock route in OZ over 1000 sandunes in ouer F250 got stuck 3 times but easily got underway again.
Frank.

It also means you can go and see some great things while you are out camping in this amazing country of ours:





Never would have gotten there w/o 4 wheel drive!